NEXIUM LONG TERM ADVERSE EFFECTS. PLEASE HELP

Treatment and medication
1

Hello everyone. I am in awful distress I need some help badly no drs understand or know what is wrong with me.

Basically long story short.

I started taking nexium 40mg when I was around 17 years old (I am now 28) I was prescribed this after zoton did not work for my stomach acid. Nexium always worked for until recently.. I had endoscopy august 2015 because I was vomitting a lot and there was blood to. Aswel as pains in my stomach. The endoscopy showed I had osophagitis, benign stomach polyps and a hiatus hernia. So they told me to start taking 80mg off nexium which I did for a few days but then my GP took it back down to 40mg when the vomiting calmed down a bit. After 11 years on nexium in October 2016 I had to be changed to lansaprazole 30mg because every time I would take the nexium soon as it hit my stomach and started working it would BURN and I would dribble out acid off my mouth especially after big meals. And I would vomit after eating no matter what it was.

The lansaprazole worked for about 1-2 weeks to ease the burning but then it started to burn again after I would eat so the GP told me to start taking x2 daily (60mg total daily)

now as off February 2017 the lansaprazole is doing what the nexium did when I wake up in the morning I feel fine but when I take the lansaprazole the BURNING STARTS omg it is horrific it sent me to A&E twice or 3 times.. it is like petrol was ignited in my stomach and osophagus.. and my mouth waters like hell. It burns and it's so painfull.. it's the same when I eat. Even antacids burn. Malox , renies and gaviscon iv tried it all... I don't know what on earth is wrong.. when I went to A&E they put me on 80mg nexium through IV drip and it got rid off the burning and I felt better BUT I can't take anything orally..

as off today my GP has prescribed me what he calls "the last one". Pantoprazol 20mg.

he said that if this one starts to burn I have to go straight to get a endoscopy and he said if they find ulcers I may have to have surgery. He said usually ulcer would 99.9% heal with PPI..

but he is puzzled why the PPI is causing my stomach to burn instead off helping same goes for taking food. But taking any Tablet seems to be worse...

Just for note .. I feel AWFUL all the time.. malaise. Fatigued. Sick. Severe constipation. Rectal prolapse. Osteoarthritis in knees. An MRI showed Weak back muscles. Heart palpations. Fluid in lower legs. And i am now on lidocaine patches for SEVERE back pain and swellings on my back which my GP likes to call wear on tear off the spine.. All off these conditions has started recently... seemingly before I stopped the nexium. ..

Can anybody shed some light for me? Could it not be anything else like my polyps burning or something I'm really worried about this I'm afraid off the surgery and I need some reassurance that I will be OK. .. I'm scared why the PPI is making me burn when it should be making me better PLEASE HELP ME

2

I'm sorry to hear you're having such a difficult time with these issues.  This is a classic case of physicians chasing symptoms with drugs.  It will never work.  And most doctors don't believe in modifying diet.  They don't think it matters.

Initially when you were 17 they should have checked for H. Pylori.  If positive, then treatment would be 3 drug antibiotic.  There's no other way to kill it out.  But, if negative, then diet modification should be recommended. 

Anyway, most of the symptoms you have described are listed in the side effects of Nexium and other PPi drugs.  They basically prevent proper digestion, which causes nutritional deficiencies.  Then a person can get muscle aches, heart issues. bone loss even Dementia.

I was on PPi drugs for about 2 years and it took another 8 months to finally get off.

I found that when I swallowed a capsule that it would cause a chemical burn on my stomach lining.  Then eventully it caused gastritis and a constant feeling of nausea.

The stomach is very easy to injure but is very slow to heal.  I still deal with occasional stomach burning flare ups.  I have to be very careful with taking any supplements or new medications.  I take every pill or supplement with food.  I think ppi capsules must be opened and then swallow the tiny pills with lots of water to disperse them.  I would recommend weaning off the PPi drugs slowly over a 4 month period.  Open the capsules and reduce the dose every week.  They are actually causing 90% of your problems.

At this point I would recommend only a raw vegtable diet for 2 weeks or longer.  Use protein powder with fruit and probiotic yogurt to make a morning smoothie every day.  I also drink marshmallow tea to coat the stomach, but it's a little hard to find.  I've heard that mastic gum helps.

Basically at this time, your stomach is full of raw sore areas and the stomach lining is inflamed which causes the nausea. 

It's time to take control of this situation.  Keep me updated.  John

3

Hi Fazerug28, Sorry to hear that you are having a hard time. PPI's do a lot of damage to the body over time, You are young and you should be able to get through this by following Jonathan's advise. I do not want to write too much about me but I have bad side effects with a lot of medicines. Omeprazole was OK as I use it short term but it is giving me side effects. I tried Carafate liquid(in US), had side effetcs but you should try this before you sleep as this will coat your stomach and esophagus and prevent damage. I am taking Gaviscon liquid Regular strength from yesterday and it seems to be OK. Please ask your doctor if you can try either of these 2. Hope you feel better soon. 

4

If you haven't already figured it out, for God's sake STOP taking the Pantoprazole.

Your doctor is wrong to prescribe a PPI when you have have multiple adverse reactions to two previous PPIs.

Just look at the drug manufacturers product disclosure statement to confirm this.

It will also tell you that PPIs should only be used on a short term basis (8-12 weeks) not YEARS!

The side effects of long term use can be devastating, even deadly.

You cannot just go cold turkey or you will get the worst gastric reflux rebound ever.

You can start by cutting down gradually, maybe using the 20mg for a while and substituting with a H2 blocker like Zantac. You could also try combining your antacid med with melatonin (3mg - 6mg per day before bedtime) as this has been shown in at least one reputable study to be as effective as PPIs in treating GERD but without the awful side effects.

 

5

Hello, I have recently read through this and I really need some information or help on how to stop taking

esomemprazole, I have been taking these for a while now for stomach acid causing stomach pain (no acid coming up into the esophagus or throat) just stomach pain caused by the acid. I have been feeling ok for a while. Am I ok because I am continuing to take these or is it a case of stopping and only taking again if stomach acid flares up ? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. 

6

Hi Fazerug, it's been several months you have posted this, how are you doing now?

If it can help, I wanted to share a bad experience I have had with lanzoprazole which potentially connects to your own.

I have taken a 40 mg pill of Nexium/Esomeprazole every day for over 10 years.

A specialist made the prescription and I have seen quite many MDs since then. My problem is a hiatus hernia which causes an important reflux, that was really unbearable, causing pains, burns in the upper tract right to the throat and mouth.

I have no side effect from Esomeprazole to date, but I have lowered the dose progressively.

However, 6 years ago I went to get the prescription renewed, but I saw a different MD. She said Esomeprazole was very expensive for the UK's NHS (at that time, there was no generic drug) and that I could take 30 mg of lanzoprazole instead.

I was ok for around 2 months, and then a variety of symptoms appeared. I saw many doctors who were unable to find out. Very high appetite, a real need for food all the time, but also nausea all the time, lost 12 kg over the last month even with all the food I needed. I then started to find blood in the stools, was feeling exhausted (anemia), had acute pains in the tummy.

No doctor helped until I went to an homeopath. He ordered a complete blood test and then....

... he said that the test showed a very wrong value, that no drug information nor medical dictionary would prove the origin, however he said the problem was lanzoprazole.

Two days later, I was back on Esomeprazole and everything was fine!

Since then, my confidence in drugs has become lower....

I have done the following to be feeling as good as possible:

1) Osteopathy. An osteopath showed an exercise to stretch the diaphragm. It works very well! This osteopath was actually able to feel my hiatus hernia by palpation and said it was 3.5 cm. When I checked the outcome of my last endoscopy, it says 3.5 cm!

2) Regular exercise: walking, running.

3) Turmeric and ginger. Ginger infusions eliminate nausea straight away, are very healthy. Turmeric in hot milk at bedtime. Like ginger, turmeric is very anti-inflammatory, but it's also an anti-acid, it's also an "anti-cancer", and has the ability to stick on the oesophagus lining, which makes it very efficient to treat and protect.

4) Spiruline. Its richness in minerals (like crude carrot) really helps in controlling acid.

5) Slippery Elm. This gum is widely used in China to prevent oesopagus problems. It sticks to the oesopagus, so prevents the acid from touching it. You can chew a tablet at bedtime and it will remain in place for hours.

I hope it helps!

7

Have you tried Apple cider Vinegar with the Mother you take a tablespoon of it,(after you shake it thoroughly) with a glass of water and drink it, It's an old-time remedy...

Just trying to help...I use it when my PPI doesn't work.

Sometimes our stomach is trying to make enough acid but can't, that's why you drink the Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother.

Look it up you'll see... Google it...Youtube it, just know under home remedies this works quite often than not !!!

 

8

I've been taking PPI for over 10 years. Tried getting off but can't . 

They used to make me feel much better but just recently they just don't seem to be working have been  gerd symptoms now where as previously it was LPR (constant throat burn) . New gastro guy said you can't take these for the rest of your life. My original gastro or my Gp just jeep dishing them out on demand. 

 

9

Oh lord, I really can't believe Nexium causes so many problems...

I'm still suffering from having taken it long term. I was given Nexium when I was about 12ish, along with Zantac, because I was having a lot of stomach problems (nausea, some heartburn, etc). I was given an endoscopy and diagnosed with acid reflux. Okay, sure, no problem, it's not uncommon in my family. I was prescribed the FULL ADULT DOSE of Nexium, and neither I nor my family were informed about any possible side effects, or that it was not approved to be given to ANYONE under the age of 18. I had already taken Zantac for awhile by then (I had different stomach problems when I was younger than that, and the only thing that helped was a low dose of Zantac) and I was kept on it.

I had SEVERE diarrhea that started within two weeks of starting the Nexium. I was in agony from the burning it caused as it came out! We finally figured out it was the Nexium, and the doctor refused to try a different medication, so we cut my dose in half and that stopped the diarrhea. At the time, I was also being given St. John's Wart, which the doctor was informed of, and he mentioned nothing about the two interacting. My side effects from the Nexium seemed to vanish once I stopped the St. John's Wart, so we didn't think anything of it.

By 14, my memory was getting bad. Like I could say something and instantly forget I even spoke, which left me confused when someone replied and I had to have them explain what was going on. That has only gotten worse over time, at first it only happened once in awhile, nowadays it tends to happen at least once a week, and that's if I'm having a rare good week. I was also (and still am) constantly tired, never able to get enough sleep and I have honestly forgotten what it feels like to feel rested and fully awake. The closest I've gotten was waking up after an endoscopy when I was 18, whatever they knocked me out with gave me the most restful sleep I've had in several years.

At some point, I had to switch to OTC omeprazole because we couldn't afford the Nexium (it was prescription only at the time). Eventually, my symptoms started getting worse, and at 16ish I stopped taking it completely because my mother discovered that it could damage your stomach and make the problems worse. My symptoms actually improved quite a lot in under a month, and after that, my symptoms were very mild and infrequent, with occasional spikes that could last a week or two, but I did almost always have just a tiny bit of nausea (not enough to be concerned, it was just a slight annoyance).

At least until I turned 18. At 18, my gallbladder failed. It completely stopped functioning and it had to be removed. When it failed, I started suffering from severe chronic nausea. Before we found out I had organ failure, I was given promethazine (which I still take, not as much as I did at that time, but I'm currently taking it until I find something else) and Zofran. They did help, but the nausea never went away. I also started getting blood sugar drops with the exact symptoms my hypoglycemic grandmother gets when her sugar gets too low. I had never had it happen before and it terrified me because I felt like I was dying (those symptoms were really bad when they started, not so much now). Yet I don't test positive for diabetes or hypoglycemia, but I have to eat a lot of sugar daily (I try to get most of it from foods that naturally contain a lot of sugar, like fruit, or from high-quality dark chocolate) to avoid constant sugar drops. It's actually really annoying. Eating a lot of food with carbs and such doesn't help like it does for those with either condition since I don't have either.

I'm 21 now. I am nauseous every single second that I'm awake, even with medication, an acupressure motion sickness band on one wrist, and a ReliefBand on the other almost constantly. I can't eat many foods anymore, and I have to be extremely careful with introducing new ones, even if those "new ones" are things I used to eat/drink often with no problem before my gallbladder failed. My body acts like I have hypoglycemia or diabetes but I don't have either. I have chronic fatigue and my memory is almost comparable to someone starting to show signs of Alzheimer's (according to one of my doctors). Since the Nexium, I have developed chronic depression, severe GAD (generalized anxiety disorder)/panic attacks, PMDD, and been diagnosed with functional dyspepsia since absolutely nothing can be found that could be causing all my GI issues. The anxiety has even gotten so bad that I legally qualify as disabled and need a service dog just to be able to get out of the house without having an anxiety attack. The depression and anxiety only started shortly (roughly 6 months) before the memory thing became noticeable.

Now, I have to live with all of this, possibly for the rest of my life, with increased risks of kidney problems, gastric/esophageal cancer, lupus, stroke, and heart attack.  At age 21, only just able to legally drink alcohol. And I'm wishing that there were lawsuits against Nexium for more than the kidney problems, because I'm so sick with all of this that I can't work, and since I can't work, I can't afford to see the doctors I need to and I can't get any insurance either. I'm royally screwed because of their medication.